Acushnet Avenue group making neighborhood strides

NEW BEDFORD — It's the neighborhood they live in and they want to clean it up — and to make it happen they're printing flyers in Spanish and asking local shops for donations.

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By SIMÓN RIOS

southcoasttoday.com

By SIMÓN RIOS

Posted Jun. 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 4, 2014 at 5:50 AM

By SIMÓN RIOS

Posted Jun. 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jun 4, 2014 at 5:50 AM

» Social News

NEW BEDFORD — It's the neighborhood they live in and they want to clean it up — and to make it happen they're printing flyers in Spanish and asking local shops for donations.

"I feel that each business owner on the avenue should be responsible (for) the front of their store," said Ken Rapoza, an organizer with the Community Economic Development Center.

Rapoza said he went to Bourassa Hardware and asked for a donation of 100 brooms to pass out to shop owners along the avenue. Bourassa took him up on it.

"I'm going to personally go to each business and hand deliver it, and say, 'Take some pride in front of your store,'" Rapoza said.

Dozens of community organizers gathered Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Acushnet Avenue Great Neighborhoods Project. The group has multiple projects underway, including a system for mapping muggings and plans to clean up the community block by block.

On June 14, the group will paint a mural near the 7-11 on Acushnet Avenue. Rapoza said in exchange for the donated brooms, the CEDC will purchase supplies for the mural.

On hand Tuesday were members of the Bullard Street Neighborhood Association, who shared their plans to clean up the area block by block. The association was awarded a $332 mini-grant from the United Way of Greater New Bedford to buy tools including shovels and bags.

Starting in July, each Saturday the association plans to tackle a different block, starting with those in the worst shape.

Ken Resendes, chair of the Bullard Street group, said he wants to include the community's Latinos in the effort.

Joy Trudeau, the group's treasurer, suggested it could be a language barrier that prevents Latinos from coming to community events.

"What's there to communicate?" Resendes responded with a smile. "Shovel, clean, sweep. That's a universal language."

To bring in more Spanish-speaking folks, the association will print flyers in both languages announcing the block by block initiative.

Claudia Kirk, who heads the Community Building Mini-Grants Program, said the United Way is giving out grants totaling $35,000 to 37 different groups. She said they will go to volunteer-based groups rather than paid employees.

"The exciting thing about this is it really does have collective impact," Kirk said. "It's one by one, little tiny projects that collectively make a better place to live, work and play."

One eyesore on the avenue is the dozen-or-so planters that have become more trash receptacles than flower pots. Rapoza said he went to seven local nurseries to ask for plants; six of them responded positively. The Acushnet Avenue Great Neighborhoods Project plans to organize a planting event with children from the community and will include with the plants name tags of the nurseries that donated them.

Corinn Williams, executive director of the Community Economic Development Center, said a lot of work has already taken place.

The mural painting, set for June 14, is open to the public and will take place at the intersection of Coffin and Acushnet from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The group's next meeting will take place in early September.